Illustration of an angry elephant with light-up eyes over pink background.

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A dog looks into a victrola above yellow, red, white, and black text over black and gold background. 

Victor and Victrola were the brand names for phonographs made by the Victor Talking Machine of Camden, New Jersey from 1901 through 1929. The RCA Corporation bought Victor in late 1929, and they continued to use the Victor and Victrola names and logos on their products well into the 1970s, though they were not actually phonographs. RCA Victrola was a radio and was also used to reissue classical recordings of operas.

“His Master’s Voice”, or HMV, was coined in 1899 as the title of a Francis Barraud painting of the dog, Nipper, listening to the recorded voice of his owner on a phonograph. The American rights to the picture were acquired by the Victor Talking Machine Company in 1901, and the image has been used by RCA ever since. Some ads even told customers to “Look for the dog."

Gold and black text over yellowed background. 

This promotional button advertises the Whitehead & Hoag Company.  This company was started by Benjamin S. Whitehead and Chester R. Hoag in 1892. It was to later become one of the largest advertising novelties manufacturers, and the company was the largest button manufacturer. Interestingly, the company would pay children who lived around their factory to place pins and paper in the back of buttons, since the machines lacked the capacity to do so. The company accepted button orders from groups like the Socialists, the Communists, among others. In WWII, they halted regular button production and transitioned into producing identification buttons. They did eventually return to producing buttons sometime after WWII ended. The company was later sold to the Bastian Brothers and the company’s original name was retired in 1965.

WHITEHEAD & HOAG COMPANY HISTORY. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.tedhake.com/viewuserdefinedpage.aspx?pn=whco

Photograph of a businessman encircled by gold border over black background. 

The"Photomaton" was the name of the first Photo booth. It was invented by Russian-American photographer Anatol Josepho in 1925. The original Photomaton was located in New York Cty cost 25 cents to operate, and took 8 images per customer. In 1927, Josepho sold the patent rights to his invention to a group of investors led by Henry Morgentahau for a million dollars. In 1934 the Photomatic was invented, it was completely automated and replaced the Photomaton in photo booth locations around the United States.

Smug, orange sun above black text over yellow, plastic background. 

Palm Springs is a desert city in Southern California. It has a hot desert climate and over 300 days of sunshine a year. The city became a resort city in the early 1900’s when health tourists flocked to the city to treat conditions that required the dry desert heat. The city is known for its hot springs, resorts and hotels, golf courses, spas, and mid-century modern architecture. Palm Springs has also become a popular destination for retirees.

Lenticular lady's eye between white text over purple background. 

"My eyes have had it! Have yours?" was part of an advertising campaign for Martin Optical. The Martin Optical practice was located in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, and operated during the late 1950s to the early 1970s. The campaign targeted children and ran in The Gettsyburg Times in the 1960s.

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Blue text on a white background and a symbol with PNCo on the top left.

The Parisian Novelty Company was a button producing company which was founded in Chicago, Illinois, in 1898. In 2008, the button portion of the Parisian Novelty Company was sold to the Matchless Group and renamed Matchless Parisian Novelty, Inc.

The button addresses "Mr. Banker" which draws attention to the light-hearted profession of button sales compared to the stereotypically stodgy environment of a bank. However, it then explains that buttons, though "gimmicky," may be beneficial to the advertisement of a bank. The button also provides contact information for a salesperson by the name of Louis L. Joseph, jr.

Red outlined Santa face with googly eyes framed by red text over white background. 

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Blue circle with white stars encircled by red circle encircled by red text and stars over white background with stake through the center. 

George McGovern (1922-2012) was a democratic candidate for US President in 1972. In addition to supporting abortion rights and the legalization of marijuana, he became the first US Congressman to speak out against the Vietnam War in 1963. McGovern was not a peace dove. He served in the Army Air Force (1943-1945) during World War II (1939-1945).  McGovern flew thirty-five combat missions while piloting a B-24 Liberator, earning him the Air Medal with three oak leaf clusters and the Distinguished Flying Cross for his service in European Theatre.

Marijuana print text over American flag (featuring marijuana leaves in place of stars) background. Metal clip glued to the top right of the button face. 

Loose Dudes were a Chicago area punk band that formed in 2009—playing their first show in October of the same year—and were active in the late aughts and early 2010s. In 2010, Loose Dudes put out a five-song album titled “Nothing To Live For” that is available on both Bandcamp and Last.fm as of June, 2025. Although the album artwork does not showcase the imagery associated with this particular button, Loose Dudes’ Facebook account highlights several images that include cannabis motifs and imagery, making them the likely culprits of this creative and comical piece of underground Chicago music history.